BBQ Lentil Sloppy Joes
Updated May. 22nd, 2024
It’s time to bring some southwest comfort food into your vegan lifestyle! This easy to make home-style sloppy Joe is the perfect way to get some fiber, while enjoying the smoky tastes you know and love. It even has a delicious homemade BBQ sauce you can apply to some of your other favourite dishes, making it a great summer dish that keeps on giving!
- Gluten Free
- Dairy Free
- Vegetarian
Ingredients:
| sauce: | ||
|---|---|---|
| 28-oz canned crushed tomatoes | 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar | 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes |
| 6oz can tomato paste | 3 garlic cloves | 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke |
| 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses | 1 tablespoon sugar | 1/8 teaspoon cayenne |
| 1/4 cup white vinegar | 1 teaspoon dry mustard | |
| 1 medium-sized sweet onion, quartered | 1/2 teaspoon salt |
| lentils: | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 cups cooked green lentils |
Directions
- Combine all of your sauce ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. Empty sauce into a saucepan and place over medium heat, with a lid on. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for roughly half an hour.
- In the meantime, prepare your lentils by cooking them according to the package.
- Once your sauce is ready, stir in your lentils and smoother over bread.
- Enjoy warm!
Make It This Way
Make this recipe healthier by using cane or palm sugar instead of white sugar. You can even ditch the sugar altogether and use something more natural like maple syrup or honey!
If you prefer, try using beans or quinoa instead of lentils!
Try This
Try eating these lentils as a side dish or as a burger topping!
I can't wait to make these! As someone who loves the sauce of sloppy joes and who also loves lentils this recipe is so perfect! I am so excited to try this and love how it is still packed and loaded with protein like the traditional sloppy joes would be but is plant based and has the extra benefits that come along with lentils - such a super food powered meal idea! This is such a great idea, thank you for sharing this bbq lentil sloppy joes recipe, I am looking forward to making it!
Hello,
These are delicious and a great alternative to traditional sloppy joes. It's a great recipe that you won't even notice it's plant based!
Have a healthy day!
This recipe is such a great idea to get in some more lentils and have a healthier version of sloppy joe's. This looks really great and a clever idea to sneak in some more plant protein, and vitamins, and minerals. The recipe for homemade bbq sauce is also such a great addition to make this fully homemade and who knew that bbq sauce was made with all those great ingredients, such a healthy alternative that you can keep in the fridge for other recipes too.
Hello,
We hope you enjoy this meat free take on a classic recipe. Lentils are packed with nutrient and protein, without the unhealthy fat of beef. Lentils also provide the same texture as ground beef so no one will even notice!
Stay healthy & well.
It's nice to see a recipe that switches things up for the typical ways to use lentils. I've done lentils in soup and curries, but haven't tried them like this before. It'd be good with veggie dogs or as a dip with crackers. I don't have molasses or liquid smoke on hand, but might try subbing out the sugar and molasses with sucanat or rapadura since they have stronger flavours and then maybe add a little miso for umami and maybe a little tamari.
Hello Wendy,
Indeed, lentils have many uses and make a great ground beef substitute due to their taste and texture. We hope you enjoy this healthy twist to a classic dish!
I used to love sloppy joes. My Mum would prepared the sloppy joe mix on whole wheat buns and with fresh sliced mozzerella. The combination was beyond delicious. So, then I went 100% plant-based. Using lentils is an awesome idea! I have made lentil sloppy joes before and it works out really well, with the protein and fiber of the lentils making the plant based sloppy joes at least as satisfying as the meat based ones. Hopefully more people try this version out because it is awesome and nutricious! :)
Hello Rachel,
This is a great plant-based alternative that's packed with the benefits of lentils. Enjoy these on a cold Winter's day.